Improved elastic horseshoe



.tenu o. JONES, orr NEWTON, MASSAcHUsnTfrs.

IMPao'vsn sLAsTuc HoRsEsI-ios. ,Y

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 9, E23, dated August 3,

To all whom it may concern:

Beit known that I, IOHN O. J ONES, of Newton, in the county of Middlesexand State of Massachusetts, .have invented an Improvement in Horseshoes;and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exactdescription of the construction and use of the same, reference being hadto the annexed drawings, making a part of this specification, in which-A Figure H is a view of the upper surface of the top plate; Fig. VI is aside View of the double plates, showing the interposed sheet ofindiarubber and the position of the washer.

It is well known that the hoofs of horses are liable to injury, and thatmany of the diseases or their feet are caused by the blows of thenon-elastic iron shoe upon hard roads or stone pavements. My improvementis designed to prevent these injuries by the use otindiarubber or otherelastic substance so combined with an iron shoe as to prevent the hoofof the horse from receiving so violent a blow as it does when the commonliron shoe is used.

My improved elastic shoe consists of two plates, which may be made ofmalleable or of wrought iron, one plate being placed above the other andhaving a sheet of vulcanized india-rubber interposed.

Fig. Il represents the upper surface of the top plate, which is placedin contact with the hoof of the horse and fastened to it by nails, whichpass through the holes J .Tin'the usual manner. ,Holes in this plate aretapped to receive the ends of screws which enter them after passingthrough corresponding holes in the bottom plate. I lacc a sheet ofindiarubber, S, having the same outline as the shoe, between the twoplates, as represented in ig. V. I secure the bottom plate, T, to theupper plate, U, by a screw, V, one or more screws beingr placed upon'each side of the shoe and nearly under the middle of the hoof A Thehead of this screw is eountersunk in screw passes upward through awasher, W,.

the shoe was divided in some cases into sevf l eral parts, whichwere-placed .end to end around the hoof. This plan cannot be practicallyapplied to advantage, for whenever the elastic substance is compressedthe nails n will either move in the shoe or in the `hoot` and becomevloose. in a sh01.t-.time. By the use of the double plates hereindescribed this is prevented, for the upper plate is held fast to thefoot by nails applied in the usual manner, while the yielding parts arebelow this plate.

When the elastic sheet is to be renewed, the

lower plate only is taken 01T, a new sheet is inserted, and the` lowerplate secured to the n upper one as before. Another advantage attendingthe use of my double plate consists in this: that shoes having diverseforms upon the lower surface may be applied in a few minutes, according-to the state of the roads, or a winter shoe substitutedfor a summershoe, thus preventing injury to the hoof by frequently drawing anddriving the nails.

What l claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-y` The shoeformed with two plates, between which a sheet of vulcanized rubbcrlorother elastic substance is interposed in the manner and for the purposeherein set forth.

JOHN O. JONES.' [.L. su] In presence ot- A SAML. Byroumnna, Jr.,

themottom ofthe lower plate, T, thence the Jeux' M. Bi'ronnnnnn.

As t e foot of the horse At the same time'

